Humphrey harrington



(No Model.)

H. HARRINGTON.

GATE LATCH.

No. 336,714. Patented Feb. 23; 1886.

I UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

IIUhIII-IREY- HARRINGTON, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

GATE= LATCH.

FEPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,714, datedFebruary 23, 1886.

Application filed September 8.18

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUMPHREY IIARRING- TON, of the city of Indianapolis,county of Marion,and State of Indiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Gate- Latches, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of my said invention is to provide a cheap, simple, andefficient gate-latch which cannot be easily disengaged, as by theaccidental shaking of the gate or by cattle or other animals, and whichwill quickly and se' curely engage at once upon the closing of the gate,thus overcoming many of the well-known disadvantages of other cheaplatch: s, as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure1 is a perspective view showing my improved latch applied to a gate inoperation; Fig. 2', a side elevation of the latch separate,a portion ofthehousi ng being broken away to show the form of the latch parts moreful y; Fig. 0, a longitudinal section of the same on the dotted line 3 3in Fig. I; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the dotted line a 4. in Figs.2 and 3; and Figs. 5 and 6, views showing slight modifications in theconstruction, which may be used, if desired.

In said drawings, the portions marked A. represent the keeper; B, thehousing for the catch; 0, the catch proper; 0, an under part to saidcatch, and D a spring for holding the two parts together. The keeper Ais simply an outwardly-projecting pin secured upon the gate-post inproper position for the catch to engage therewith when the gate isclosed. It is preferably provided with a broad base or flange, a, inwhich screw-holes are provided for securing it to the post; but ofcourse it might be secured thereto in any other suitable manner.

The housing Bis simply an appropriate casting, in which the catch ispivoted, its front and rear sides being open, and suitable screw-holesbeing provided in its ends for securing it to the gate, andpivot-bearings in its sides, for the ends of the pi vot on which thecatch is mounted, as shown. The part 0 of the catch is in main of anordinary construction, its end being of a slightlyhooked formation, to

(No model.)

render its engagement with the keeper more secure. It is pivoted in thehousing B on the pivot I), which rests in the pivot-bearings in thesides thereof, as before described. The part 0 is also pivoted in saidhousing on the same pivot, the two parts being preferably halvedtogether at this end, thus making the end of the catch of equalthickness when put together in the housing, and forming shoulders c andc on said parts 0 and C, respectively, in front of their pivot-holes.Said part 0 is of sufficient length to extend out under the keeper ashort distance beyond the point of the part 0, it being formed with adownwardly-tapered end, so as to strike the under side of said keeperwhen the gate is closed. It is provided on the inner face of its rearpart with an annular ring, 0", around its pivothole, which isofsufiicient width to receive the coil of the wire spring D, the outeredge of said ring resting against the adjacent face of the part G,andthus holding said spring in position. It might of course be formed onthe part 0, if preferred. The spring D is simply one coil of wire springplaced on the ring 0*, its ends projecting forward, and, when inoperative po ,ition, sprung out by the corners of the shoulders c and 0,thus bearing against I said corners and the outside of the parts 0 and Oand operating to force and hold their front ends together at all times.

In Figs. 5 and6 I show slight modifications of the construction shown inthe principal figures, the parts 0 and 0 being provided with lugs c c ontheir outside faces, which engage with notches b in the sides of thehousing B, instead of being pivoted on the pivot b, and a bent spring,I), being interposed be tween one end of the housing and one edge of oneof the parts, and a coil-spring, D, being interposed between the otherend and the edge of the other part, either of which constructions may beemployed to hold the front ends of said parts together, instead of thespring D. Aswill be readily seen, these or similar modifications of theconstruction might be used, if preferred, without departing from myinven tion, which consists in mounting the two parts of the catch sothat they will automatically engage with the keeper as the gate isclosed, the top parthooking down over the keeper in the ordinary manner,and the under part sim' them apart, the part C passing over it and plyoperating to hold said top part down into such engagement, its pointbeing held in 0011- I tact with the top surface of said under part, Eand said top surface being at or below the lower edge of said keeper.

The operation of my said invention may be briefly described as follows:The several parts i being in operative positim and properly ad- 1 justedon the gate, it being desired to latch the gate, it is simply swung to,when the keep- 1 er strikes the end of the catch between the divergingends of the two parts and forces dropping down upon the other side,thespring D operating to force the ends of the two parts together. Thus,when the gate bounds back (as they usually do when forcibly closed) andthe catch tends to fly up, the part 0 comes against the under side ofsaid keeper and pre vents it from rising sufficiently to disengage fromsaid keeper, as the spring D at all times holds the point of the part 0down against the top surface ofsaid part 0. As willbe readily seen, thecatch is disengaged from the keeper by simply raising up the end of thepart 0 of 5 the catch with the hand in the usual manner. To furtherguard against the point of the part i G striking against the keeper at apoint above 3 its center when the gate is thrown back by reaction, (asis frequently the case with other latches,) and thus permitting it toslide over said keeper and fail to secure the gate, the ta- 5 per of theendofthe part 0 may becornmenced 1 a short distance back of the point ofthe part 0 or directly under the keeper, thus holding said point belowthe lower edge of said keeper, even when the latch has raised up to thefull i limit permitted by the part 0. A very secure fastening for thegate is thus provided, and one which cannot be shaken loose by catl tleor other animals. I am aware that latches of various kinds have beenconstructed with two catches, one of which engages wit-h or hooks overeach side of the keeper; but I am not aware that any latch hasheretofore been made with a single catch having apart which extends outbeyond and bears against the underside of saidkeeper, the point of saidcatch being held in contact with the top surface thereof, whereby itoperates to prevent the accidental lifting up of said catch, as hereinset forth and claimed.

Having thus fully described my said invention,what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A gate-latch consisting of a keeper and a two part catch, said partsbeing pivoted to gether at one end in an appropriate housing, one beingformed to hook down over the keeper and the other being formed with asmooth top surface and extended out under said keeper, the ends of saidtwo parts being held together by spring force located in said housing,substantially as set forth.

2. In a gate-latch, the combination of the keeper A, catch part 0,pivoted in an appropriate housing, catch part 0, pivoted in the samehousing, and a spring, D, passing around the pivot between said twoparts, one end of said spring being sprung out upon and hearing againstthe outside of each, whereby their front ends are held together,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a gate-latch, of the keeper, a catch consistingof the parts 0 and C, pivoted together in an appropriate housing, one ofwhich is provided with an annular extension, 0 on its hub,which servesto keep the two parts sufficiently apart to receive the spring betweenthem, and also as a support for said spring, and the spring D, passingaround said annular extension, one end of which spring rests upon theoutside of each of said parts, whereby their ends are forced together,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 2d day of September, A. D. 1885.

HUMPllRPlY HARRINGTON. [L 8.]

\Vitnesses:

E. W. BRADFORD, CHARLES L. THURBER.

